The Pedestal Group was founded in 2009 when owner, Kathy Breitenbucher, was laid off from her job. Turning a difficult situation into an opportunity, she has built the business into a thriving concern serving over 150 clients in industries varying from construction and manufacturing to executive search and finance. While only having one employee, The Pedestal Group has provided training, strategic and marketing planning, technology support, website design and maintenance, and workforce consulting to companies throughout Medina County and the United States.

For more information, contact Kathy Breitenbucher, Managing Partner

View the Timeline of The Pedestal Group here

Questions and Answers with the Managing Partner, Kathy Breitenbucher

In November of 2008, the company I was working for announced they were moving to Atlanta and myself and my coworkers were out of jobs. When the announcement went out to customers, many of them reached out and asked how we could continue to work together. I thought about it, and decided to name my company The Pedestal Group because I really do put people on pedestals. Our tag line is, “we put our clients where they belong” which is very appropriate because if someone needs to hear they are doing something wrong, I am not afraid to let them know. 

There are two big challenges. One is the same as any “solo-preneur” which just means you work by yourself. As the person who has to both sell the service / get more clients and provide the work, it is difficult to balance the two. Every minute you are selling you aren’t working and every minute you are working you aren’t bringing in new business. 

The second challenge is balancing the workload. Just like in school when you had math, science, and art, in my business I have to allocate time to different tasks. And when I bring on a new client, I need to figure out if I have the time to handle that work or if with what else is going on, it will be too much. 

In the past I have had clients in Spain, Singapore, and all over the United States. But in the last several years I have targeted companies in Northeast Ohio, just so I can have stronger relationships with them. A stronger relationship leads to more repeat business and more referrals.

A lot of what I do is on a computer so I try to keep things electronic as much as possible. But if I have to use paper, I make sure I recycle when it is done. Old records are shredded and recycled as well. 

As with all businesses, I pay both federal and state taxes and interact with the Internal Revenue Service. I also sit on a Board of Directors for a non-profit agency and we deal with federal and state regulations providing services through that group. And then I know the administration in Brunswick, Medina, and Wadsworth and can call or email those elected officials with questions or concerns. I track a number of bills going through the Ohio house and senate and have had conversations with both state and federal elected officials. 

When I have had employees, they were either high school students or immediately after graduation. When I interview someone, I look for attitude first. A person who is excited to learn new things and take on challenges is going to fit best in my company because we never do the same thing twice and we never know what someone will ask us to do. Strong computer skills are important and not just being able to use it – but also not afraid to just try something. And then I need someone with really good, all around communication skills. They need to be able to explain things, listen and ask good questions, and then write well with good punctuation and spelling as well as getting their ideas across.